Second Chances
by SKRoberts
Summary: While on an important mission on a planet with SG-1, something goes wrong and O'Neill is inadvertently left behind. He also meets a very special young girl who saves his life. (Check header info for more)


Title: Second Chances  
Author: Sarah K. Roberts (S.K.Roberts)  
Main Character(s): Jack  
Date Completed: January 2000  
Category: Action  
Summary: While on an important mission on a planet with SG-1, something goes wrong and O'Neill is inadvertently left behind. He also meets a very special young girl who saves his life.  
Setting: Between "Fair Game" and "Jolinar's Memories" (Season 3)  
Spoilers: Through "Fair Game"

Disclaimer: This story is not meant to infringe on rights of MGM Studios or Gekko Film Corp. This is not for profit and purely for enjoyment. All characters of _Stargate SG-1_ were borrowed and then returned, unharmed and unchanged at the end, with their dignity intact. All original characters belong to Sarah K. Roberts. Any similarity between this story and an already existing fan fiction, is purely coincidental. Enjoy!

**_Second Chances_**

"Run!" commanded Colonel Jack O'Neill. "Everyone, back to the Gate!"

As SG-1 ran toward the Stargate to escape from P8X-983, a planet ruled by tyranny and disloyalty, they were being pursued by angry thieves on horseback brandishing bows and arrows. Carter had taken some Naquadah from them for testing, but the thieves did not like that very much.

"Daniel," Jack ordered, "start dialing home!"

Daniel Jackson started to dial up their home coordinates on the Dial Home Device, or DHD. He finished the last chevron and placed his hand on the orange hemisphere in the center of the DHD. The Stargate's whirly, blue event horizon extended out, signaling that it was ready to transport anyone who stepped through it to the coordinates dialed. Quickly, O'Neill, Carter, Jackson, and Teal'c hurled themselves toward the Gate and were quickly deposited back on earth, intact.

"Whoa! What a ride!" Jack said as he regained his bearings. "Everyone all right?"

"Yes, Sir," said Major Samantha Carter quickly.

"I'm fine," Daniel said as he picked up his glasses.

"As am I," said Teal'c in his ever-so-solemn voice.

Major General George Hammond walked down from the control room to see what was going on. "Colonel O'Neill, what's going on here? You're two hours early!" he exclaimed.

"We had a little trouble with the locals. Carter took some Naquadah from these lizard guys, and they got a little mad. Remind me to _never_ make someone with a bow and arrow angry," Jack explained.

"Is everyone all right?" Hammond asked.

"A few bumps and scrapes, that's all," Jack answered.

"Well, go down and see doctor Frasier anyway. Then meet me in the debriefing room," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir," Carter answered.

"We're on our way, Sir," Jack said back.

All four headed to the Infirmary to see Doc Frasier, and when released with a clean bill of health, they headed for the debriefing room.

When they entered the room, General Hammond greeted them. "SG-1, please have a seat. There's someone I need to introduce to you."

They all looked at each other in a puzzled way and then seated themselves. "What's this all about?" O'Neill spoke up.

Hammond got up from his seat, walked over to a man sitting right across from him and started to explain, "This is Oliver Secrest. He is a mineralogist and will be assisting you on your next mission."

"What mission?" Carter asked.

Hammond answered, "Doctor Jackson, please fill us all in on the details."

"Yes, Sir. I have been studying a culture on P3X-5923. The locals call their planet Madoc. It's a strange culture that is believed to have a medicine that will cure any ailment. I've talked with them, and they say that the medicine comes from a rare stone on their planet. They have agreed to let SG-1 examine the rock. Although I have a lot of knowledge about history and cultures, I don't know much about mineralogy. I need Dr. Secrest to assist me. With his help, we should, hopefully, find out ourselves how they make it," Daniel explained.

"Thank you, Daniel. They will only allow us on the planet for three days. Dr. Jackson and I should be able to complete analysis within that time frame," Secrest continued.

O'Neill looked at Daniel. "Sounds all right to me," he said. He was tired of being chased by lizard creatures and such. This should be a walk in the park. "When does it start?"

"Tomorrow at 13:00 hours," Hammond replied.

"It's a date," O'Neill said in his usual affirmative voice.

The group talked about the mission a little more, and then they finished out the day. When night fell, they made sure to get a good night's sleep so they would be alert and ready for tomorrow's mission. As morning came, they all gathered at the Gate and prepared to travel to Madoc, hoping to find a wondrous medical discovery, but that is not what they would find. No one in the Gateroom could ever imagine what he or she would encounter on the other side of the Gate. Their lives were about to be changed.

"Start dialing," General Hammond commanded. A young technician obeyed and began to dial up P3X-5923.

"Chevron six is encoded... Chevron seven is locked!" he shouted as the Gate opened in its swoosh-y blueness.

Dr. Secrest looked wide-eyed upon the Gate, for he had never seen it activated before.

"It's a piece of cake," O'Neill said to assure him that it was okay. He walked up to the Gate's event horizon, took a few deep breaths, and stepped through it. The wormhole quickly transported O'Neill to the planet, light years away, in mere seconds. When he reached the other side, he awaited the others. A few seconds later, all were present, and the Gate deactivated.

"What a rush!" Secrest said as he looked back at the Gate. The others all smiled as they all looked around at their immediate surroundings. Then they made their way toward the town in which the leader was waiting for them, or so they thought. When they reached the town a few minutes later, they found no one present.

"Where is everyone? They knew we were coming. There should be someone here," Daniel began.

"I'm sure there's a good explanation for this, Daniel," O'Neill said back as he looked around. Suddenly, an all-too-familiar sound came their way. "Oh, no! Please, don't tell me that's what I think it is."

"It would appear that serpent guards are headed this way," Teal'c said in his 'eager' voice.

"I asked you not to tell me that," Jack said.

Teal'c raised his eyebrow for a moment as he tried to understand O'Neill's words. He decided to leave it until later. "We should take shelter."

"Everyone, into those trees!" O'Neill commanded. There were no hesitations. The guards marched through town, pushing and pulling the inhabitants along with them.

"Oh, no. This is not good," Daniel said out loud, though not meaning to.

"No, it's not," Carter said back. "If they've taken the inhabitants as prisoners, they might already know that we're here."

"You are quite correct, Major Carter," Teal'c agreed.

"Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing. We have to help them somehow," Secrest said.

"We will. We just need a plan first," O'Neill said back. He then looked behind him. There he saw a clearing that looked promising. "Okay, everyone, follow me," he said as he got up and walked in that direction. They all obeyed and followed. O'Neill kept a careful watch for serpent guards or other troubles as the walked. Not realizing it, the group was walking back toward the Gate. Suddenly, they all came to a stop. In front of them was a deep gorge that seemed to have no end.

"Whoa!" Daniel said, a little startled.

"Awe, man. I'd hate to fall down that thing," O'Neill said.

"As would most people, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said back. Jack just looked at him with an 'I-knew-that' look on his face. Suddenly, there was an explosion.

"Whoa! What the--?!" Secrest said as they all whipped around to see what was happening. Behind them stood three guards firing on them with staff weapons.

"Take cover!" O'Neill ordered, and no one objected. He then took shelter behind a tree, and opened fire. Three more guards gathered and fired still. "We're surrounded!" O'Neill shouted over the noise from the weapons. "Carter, get Daniel and Secrest to the Gate and start dialing out! Teal'c, you stay here and cover them!" he ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" Carter said back. She, Daniel, and Oliver headed quickly toward the Gate in hopes of getting out of that place alive. While they sprinted to the Gate only a short distance away, Teal'c and O'Neill were engaged in a firefight with five of the six guards. Teal'c had already taken one guard out with his own staff.

"Teal'c, there are too many of them, we can't win! We have to get out of here! You head to the Gate, while I cover! I'll be right behind you!" O'Neill ordered.

"If I leave you now, there is nothing stopping them from closing in on you! I cannot just leave you here!" Teal'c said back.

"I'll be right behind you. Go! That's an order!" O'Neill yelled to him. Teal'c reluctantly followed his order and headed to the Gate, after getting off a few more shots, hitting another guard. O'Neill soon followed, still trying to keep the guards away. They followed along the edge of the cliff that rimmed a long shallow canyon with a forest at the bottom. Soon Teal'c spotted Carter and the others at the Gate a short distance away. They had already dialed out and were ready to go through. He swiftly ran toward it, only looking back to see if O'Neill was behind him, and to fire on the approaching guards who followed Jack. To Teal'c's relief, O'Neill _was_ behind him, though still far back.

"Teal'c! Jack! Hurry!" Daniel yelled.

O'Neill gestured for them to go on, and they did. Secrest went through, then Daniel, and then Carter after Teal'c had come close enough to the Gate. Teal'c reached the Gate, then turned back and looked for O'Neill. He was still a ways from the Gate. The guards were dangerously close.

"Hurry, O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted in a very excited and concerned voice. O'Neill was only a few feet away from the side of the cliff, still distant from the Gate, but he was getting very close. Teal'c was starting to get worried, though. He and Jack had developed a strong friendship over the years and they cared for each other very much, as much as two grown men could. He just wanted to make it out of there, along with the others, alive.

One of the guards who were pursuing them came within range of O'Neill and fired his staff. O'Neill ducked and avoided being hit, but not for long. One of the other guards soon got lucky when he fired his staff, and the blast hit O'Neill in the right upper side of his back. He went down quickly, yelling out in pain.

At that moment, Teal'c looked back at O'Neill. He saw Jack on the ground and screamed out, "O'Neill... No!" Suddenly, one of the guards turned toward him and fired. Luckily the blast missed him, but the force of the blast knocked Teal'c toward he Gate. He stumbled back, into the event horizon and was shot back to earth in a flash.

O'Neill managed to stand up, but that did not do much good for when the guards came near, he was too weak to run. He kept backing away from them in an effort to escape, not realizing that he was so close to the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, he stumbled, went over the side, and fell quickly to the bottom, hitting with tremendous force. He did not even feel it, though, because he had already passed out from the pain and the fright of the fall before he hit. Luckily, he had been spared the pain of the impact but would feel it when he woke up -- if he ever did.

Teal'c was thrown out of the Gate like a pebble being tossed in a river. He hit the ramp hard, but wasn't injured seriously. Some debris from the explosion that the staff had caused managed to come through the Gate as well before it shut down. He quickly tried to regain his bearings, with a little help from Carter and Daniel.

"Teal'c, where's Colonel O'Neill?!" Carter asked as she helped him up. 

He looked back at the Gate and frowned. "He is still on the planet. I saw him get hit by a staff blast. I believe he might be... dead," Teal'c said slowly.

"What?! No, he can't be!" Daniel said with deep concern.

"I do not know for sure. If he is still alive, he is most likely a prisoner," Teal'c said with a deep frown on his face.

General Hammond quickly came from the computer-activation room. He had no clue what was going on and confronted the Jaffa, "Teal'c, what happened on that planet?! Where's Colonel O'Neill?!"

Teal'c was about to explain it to him, when Carter noticed blood trickling down his arm. "Teal'c, you're hurt!"

"It is not serious, Major Carter," he said looking at his arm. "Do not be concerned."

"Go down to the Infirmary and get it looked at anyway. Then meet me in the conference room. I want to know what happened," Hammond commanded.

"Yes, General Hammond," Teal'c obeyed.

_LATER, IN THE INFIRMARY...  
_  
"Well, Teal'c, there isn't any serious damage. It looks like you got hit by some debris from an explosion. Do you know where it could have come from?" Dr. Janet Frasier said to her patient.

"I was at the Gate waiting for O'Neill to reach me, when one of the serpent guards fired his staff at me. The blast hit the ground nearby, and the force pushed me through the Gate and back to earth," Teal'c explained.

"Well, you should be all right in a few days. And I'm sure O'Neill is okay, Teal'c. He's too stubborn to die," she said trying to make him feel better, though she was even more worried than he was. "If you have any trouble with your arm, just come down and see me."

"Thank you, Dr. Frasier," he said looking at the bandage on his arm. "Excuse me, I must speak with General Hammond."

"All right, but take care of yourself," Dr. Frasier said as he got off the examining table on which he was sitting.

Teal'c bowed slightly to acknowledge her concern and headed to see General Hammond in the conference room.

Very, very slowly, O'Neill's eyes opened. He had a bad headache, but that was all the pain he felt. He lifted his head a little and looked around, finding himself in a small cottage-like room that was full of sunlight straying through the straw roof. There were tables, chairs, and a bed -- on which he was lying. _Where am I, and how did I get here? What happened...?_ he thought to himself. Suddenly, he remembered, but only in bits and pieces. A staff blast, then pain, falling off a-a cliff, or something. Suddenly, he heard someone approaching the room. He tried to get up, but could not. It was just too hard. O'Neill braced himself and waited for whoever or whatever it was outside to enter. Moments later, the door opened and in walked a young girl. She was fairly tall, with short brown hair. She could not have been much more than twenty. He stayed very still, closed his eyes, and pretended that he was asleep. She very quietly walked over to the bed with a bowl of water and a cloth in her hands. She ever so gently set the bowl down on a small table that was right next to the bed, then sat down in a nearby chair. Putting the cloth in the bowl of water, she wet it carefully, wrung it out, and reached over to place it on O'Neill's forehead. Then suddenly, he made his move...

"Ahhh!" she yelled as he grabbed her arm. "Please, do not hurt me!"

"Who are you?" he asked as he looked at her small face. It looked kind and gentle, but he was still cautious.

"My name is Alyssandra. P-please do not hurt me," she said in a shaky voice.

"It's all right. I won't hurt you," he said as he let go of her arm gently to show her that he did not intend to harm her. "What am I doing here?"

"You... were injured by someone and fell from the cliff, as far as I can tell," she answered.

Suddenly, all the memories flooded back: the guards, getting shot while running to the Gate, watching Teal'c get throw through the Gate by an explosion, being surrounded by the guards, and then falling. The memory stopped there. "How did I get here?"

"I was walking in the forest at the bottom of the canyon looking for herbs when I saw you -- nearly dead -- by a large rock. I-I could not just leave you there," she said with excitement in her voice.

"Well, I must thank you then," he said as he extended his right hand to her. She looked at him with a strange face. "It's called a handshake. It's what we do. Give me your hand, and I'll show you."

She gently extended hers as well and placed it in his. Then she smiled.

O'Neill suddenly realized, _Wait a minute, I got shot! I should be in more pain than this or something! It's not possible to fall from a cliff and not get hurt! What's going on here?!_ He released his hand from hers and lifted his left hand to touch his injured shoulder. There was no wound! Only a hole in his uniform along with other tears, probably from when he hit the bottom of the gorge, remained. He then looked at Alyssandra, who was in turn looking at him, with a confused expression. "Did you do this?!" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did. Your wounds would not have healed on their own without help, and you would have died," Alyssandra explained. "I did not want that to happen."

"How?" O'Neill exclaimed with disbelief.

Alyssandra bowed her head slightly and then raised it. In a deeper, sort of distorted voice she said, "**With my help.**"

O'Neill tightened up. "You're a Goa'uld?!" he said with excitement and fear as he tried to scoot away, but could not. "**No! No, I am not a Goa'uld!**" she said in the distorted voice still. "**I am Ka'rin; I am of the Tok'ra. I am not Goa'uld.**" 

O'Neill eased up a bit and then asked, "Isn't Alyssandra a little young to be a host to a Tok'ra?"

"**She is young, but she knows how to take care of herself**," Ka'rin answered. "**How do you measure time?**"

"Oh, in years. Um, one year is the time it takes our planet to circle our sun. There are three hundred sixty-five days in one year. One day is--" he explained, trying to say what Daniel might say, but then he was cut off.

She bowed her head again, and Alyssandra spoke now. "It is all right. I understand. By your standards, I am twenty-three years old. When I was eleven, I became very ill. It was a rare disease, and there was nothing anyone could do for me. I would have surely died. My parents somehow found out about a race called the Tok'ra, who could help. They did not fully understand what the Tok'ra were all about, and after the Tok'ra had given me a symbiote, my parents wanted nothing to do with me. In their minds, I was dead. I was left on this planet, with the inhabitants who did not want me either. I have grown up by myself, except for Ka'rin, for twelve years," she said with sadness in her voice. Tears began to well up in her dark brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," O'Neill said trying to comfort her.

"It is all right. I have learned to live with my pain, with Ka'rin's help. The others who live on the planet still pretend that I am not even here, so that is why I live here, alone. Well, actually, not quite. Ka'rin is very interesting. Even though there are no other people who will talk to me, knowing she is there makes me feel whole," Alyssandra said with a little more happiness in her voice. "Well, you know all about me. What is your name?"

"Jack O'Neill. Please, call me Jack," he said knowing he could trust her.

Meanwhile, on earth, the other members of the SG-1 team were planning a mission to Madoc to find O'Neill, or learn his fate at least.

"Major Carter, start dialing," Hammond commanded. They were planning to send the Mobile Analytic Laboratory Probe, or MALP, through to see if it was all clear to go through.

"Yes, Sir," she answered and started dialing. When the last chevron was locked, the Gate opened and the MALP was sent through. Within seconds of arrival on Madoc, the MALP was fired upon by zatnikatels and transmission was lost. Hammond, Teal'c, Daniel, Carter, and even Secrest watched as their last hope to save O'Neill seemed to vanish.

"There has to be some other way we can get to that planet! We can't just give up!" Daniel said adamantly.

"We do not intend to, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said back. "If we cannot get to him, maybe Colonel O'Neill can somehow get to us."

"How? How could he get back?! You said yourself that he got hit and went down. How could he get back to us if they have him?!" Secrest said.

"We don't know that they _do_ have him. Heck, we don't even know if he's alive!" Hammond said.

"He is alive. I can feel it. I do not know how, but I know," Teal'c said trying to spark new hope.

"I hope you're right, Teal'c," Carter said back as she looked at the Gate.

While SG-1 desperately tried to find a way to rescue O'Neill, a day had already turned to night, and both Alyssandra and Jack slept. O'Neill had pleasant dreams about earth and his friends, family really, at the SGC. He longed to see home again and knew when he awoke, he would have to find a way back.

Alyssandra's dreams were a different story. She had no family or friends, only Ka'rin. She was the only being that had spoken with her in twelve years, until today. She had saved O'Neill because she was the kind of person who did not like bad things happening to people, and even though she had not known what O'Neill was like, she saved him. Deep inside, she hoped Jack would be her friend and stay with her, at least for a while.

"_Alyssandra... Alyssandra_," called a soft, ghostly voice from her dream. She looked around to see who was calling her name. All she could see was darkness.

"Yes? Who or what are you? What do you want?" she said, a little confused.

"_Alyssandra_," the voice called again. "_Alyssandra, you cannot let this happen... You have to stop it..._" The voice trailed off.

"Stop what?! What are you talking about?!" she said excitedly. "Answer me!" Suddenly, everything turned stark white, blinding her momentarily. A few seconds later, she found herself in the field near the Stargate, next to the cliff.

"What...? How did I get here?!" she asked while she looked around, very confused. She took notice of faint weapons fire behind her. When she turned around to see what was going on, like lightning, a staff blast hit the ground close to her, knocking her over. She yelped as the force of the blast knocked her to the ground.

"Alyssandra, are you okay?!" O'Neill yelled while pushing in the chevrons on the DHD. She looked over in his direction quickly.

_What is going on?!_ Alyssandra said to herself. Suddenly, the Gate opened. O'Neill had finished dialing and hurried to Alyssandra. Serpent guards were dangerously close.

"Come on, we have _got_ to go!" Jack said with intensity as he helped her up. He took her arm and they both ran to the Gate as fast as they could, prepared to go through. Suddenly, without warning, staff blasts pounded down like rain causing O'Neill to let go of her arm, hurrying ahead. Blasts hit the ground left and right and came close to knocking them off their feet. They tried to dodge them, but one finally succeeded and knocked Alyssandra over again. She hit the ground a few feet behind Jack, uninjured, though very scared. Jack reached the Gate, not knowing he had left Alyssandra behind. He looked around, saw she was not there, then turned back to see where she was. He spotted her, lying on the ground.

"Alyssandra!" he yelled as he started back toward her, trying to help, regardless of the fact that the guards were very, very close. One of the guards saw her, took aim, and lifted his staff, ready to fire.

"No!!" O'Neill yelled as he hurried, running with all his speed, to reach her. He was not about to leave her behind, not after what she had done for him. And anyway, he liked her. Suddenly, something totally unexpected happened -- the guard changed his target, aiming at O'Neill! O'Neill saw what was happening and tried to slow down and get out of the way. The guard looked at Jack, then fired his weapon. Jack collapsed in a world of pain as the staff blast hit him in the chest. Without a word, he fell to the ground, hitting it roughly. Then he slowly closed his dark brown eyes... forever.

"Jack... Nooooo!!" Alyssandra screamed as she saw him fall. She picked herself up and ran to him, but there was nothing she could do. His heart beat no more, and he drew no breath. Tears began to stream down Alyssandra's face uncontrollably as she whirled around and looked at the guard that had fired the shot. He quickly approached her, staff in hand. He looked into her dark brown eyes, which were brimming with tears. She said not a word as he lifted his staff. The emotion in her eyes told the guard that she was not afraid. He held the staff in hand, looked at her young face, and, without remorse, fired...

Suddenly, Alyssandra woke up. Looking around the room, she realized it was all a dream, a nightmare that felt so real, but still a dream. She was lightly covered with sweat and breathing heavily. Looking around the room, she could not find Jack.

"Jack?" she said, a little worried, "Jack?!" She crawled out of bed and went outside, desperately looking for him. "Jack!" she yelled again.

"What?!" he yelled back.

"You scared me! I thought something had happened to you," she said, relieved to find him.

"I just came out to get some water," he said as he scooped some up out of a barrel. "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh no, I do not mind. It is fine. I was just worried," she said back with a pale expression on her face.

"No reason to worry. I'm still here," he assured her. "Are you okay, you look like something is bothering you?"

"Oh. I am fine. I just had a bad dream. I am all right now," she answered a little more cheerfully, for she did not want him to worry about her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I am well. How about you? Are you hungry?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, yes. Famished. What's on the menu?" he asked. It had been a while since he ate last.

"Min-u?" she asked, a little confused.

"Oh. It's a thing that has--" he began, motioning his hands in the shape of a rectangle. "Oh, never mind. What is there to eat?"

"Well, there are a few fruit trees in the forest. Are you in the mood for fruit?" she asked.

"Mmmm... fruit. My favorite," he said back. He did not really care what he ate, as long as it would stop the hunger! 

"Can I trust you to stay here to watch the house and hopefully stay out of trouble while I go get some?" she asked.

"Of course. I do have to find a way to get back to earth. Now's as a good of a time as any," he said back.

Her heart got heavy, but she maintained a smile. She did not want O'Neill to leave, but she could not be so selfish as to keep him from going back to his home planet. She just tried to enjoy the time they had. "I will be back soon," she said as she began to walk away.

"I'll be here," he said as he half-waved good-bye.

Hammond, Secrest, and SG-1 already had a plan, based on new evidence they had found. Major Carter had discovered that the serpent guards were on Madoc for the same reason SG-1 had gone. The guards were there because of the rocks that held the healing power. If they could get hold of it and return it to one of the system lords, there would be no stopping any attack by the Goa'uld. With the medicine from the stone, any injury received could be healed in minutes, without the use of a sarcophagus. There would be no hope of victory. SG-1 knew this could not be allowed to happen, so they would join SG-5, 7, and 3 to return to Madoc to stop the Goa'uld. Hopefully they could also find O'Neill alive and bring him home. If he had not been captured, with any luck, he would be close to the Gate.

"Start dialing," Hammond said as he went to the embarkation room to talk to the SG teams before departure.

"Yes, Sir!" one of the technicians said briskly.

The door opened and Hammond entered the Gateroom. The SG teams and Secrest were awaiting departure.

"Major Carter, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c -- Godspeed to Madoc and return safely. And please, if O'Neill is alive, bring him home," he said to them.

"We will try our best, General Hammond," Teal'c said.

Secrest walked over to Hammond and said, "General Hammond, I request to accompany SG-1 and the other teams on their mission."

"Dr. Secrest, you are not required to go. If you do, you might not come back," Hammond said to him.

"I know that, Sir. I've only known Colonel O'Neill for a short time, but I feel I must have some part in trying to save him and to try to prevent the Goa'uld from getting that rock," Secrest said, trying to convince him.

"All right. We can use all the help we can get. Be careful," Hammond agreed.

"I will, Sir," Secrest said as he walked over to SG-1.

"Glad to have your assistance, Oliver," Daniel said as Secrest came close.

"Grab some gear and get ready to move out," Carter said to him.

"Thanks," he said back as he prepared to depart along with the others.

The Gate's event horizon emerged after the last chevron was locked. General Hammond stood on the Gate ramp and wished the teams good luck as they all went through the Gate simultaneously with the hope of saving Madoc and its people, and hopefully their friend.

When everyone had exited the Gate, it shut down. There were no guards in sight, but all personnel positioned themselves, ready to fire on any approaching threats.

"This isn't right. Where are the guards?" Secrest said, gun in hand.

"I don't know," Carter said. "Teal'c, is there any explanation for this? Why would the guards leave the Gate?" 

"There is no explanation. Unless," he began.

"Unless what?" Daniel asked.

"There is only one occasion when the guards would leave their posts -- only if someone of great importance was present, and more protection was needed," Teal'c explained.

"Someone as important as Sokhar?" Daniel asked excitedly.

"Yes, Daniel Jackson. Though Sokhar might not be the one present, someone like him would likely want every available serpent guard as protection because him personal guards are few, perhaps because it is not supposed to be known that he is here. It is quite possible a person such as that is here," Teal'c said back.

"If that's true, we might be able to take care of that problem for good," Carter said.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute! Who's Sokhar?" Secrest asked.

"We'll explain later. Let's move out," Carter ordered. "Where did you last see the Colonel, Teal'c?" "It was over near the ledge of the cliff, a few meters away. Follow me," he said.

Carter signaled for the other SG teams to stay close to the Gate, while SG-1 and Secrest followed Teal'c to where O'Neill had been shot by the serpent guard. They approached a small red spot on the grass.

"This is where it occurred," Teal'c said as he looked down at the grass stained with O'Neill's blood, with a little distress in his voice.

Secrest bent down to get a closer look, hoping to find some clue that would lead them to Jack. He took note that it was not a huge spot, which was good. The less blood there was, the better the chances of O'Neill still being alive. Leaning down, he noticed something: very small spots of blood leading to the edge of the cliff a few feet away. "Hey guys, look at this," he said as he pointed. "There is a trail of blood leading to the side of the canyon. It looks like O'Neill either got up or was carried over to the edge." He made a puzzled face.

"Why would he do that? Unless," Daniel said, "unless... Oh, no!" He quickly ran over to the ledge and looked down, fearing that Jack had gone over the side. The others soon followed.

"I do not see him," Teal'c said with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, but is that good or bad? Good that he's not down there, so maybe he didn't go over. Bad because it means he might have been captured," Carter said, still worried.

"There's only one way to find out. We have to find a way down there and see for ourselves -- see if Colonel O'Neill is down there or not," Secrest said trying to hold back his emotion.

"All right. But we came here on a mission. If we don't stop whoever is after the stone, we'll all end up dead or prisoners. We also have to see if there is anything we can do to help the inhabitants that were captured," Carter stated. "We'll go down there and look while the other SG teams try to find out what's going on."

"That is fine with me, Major Carter," Teal'c said. Both Daniel and Oliver nodded their heads in agreement.

Carter headed over to the SG teams that were guarding the Gate. She told them the plan and sent them on their way while SG-1 tried to find a way down the cliff. Each one of them feared what they might find. At least if they did find O'Neill at the bottom, alive or dead, they would not be left in the dark about his fate.

While SG-1 moved toward their goal, Alyssandra had found many nice fruits to eat. She, and Ka'rin, had been on the planet for twelve years and knew the forest at the bottom of the canyon very well: where to find the best trees with the best fruit, where the best water was, and many other helpful things. While she was up in a tree, picking fruit similar to apples, she suddenly heard voices and approaching footsteps.

"Do you even know where you're going?" a young male voice said.

"Well, no. I've never been here before. You think you could do better?!" said another male voice, a little older sounding, but not by much.

"Maybe," said the first male voice again.

"Both of you, behave!" said a female voice. The other two voices were silent.

"We are not making much progress," said a deep male voice, much deeper than the two before.

"I know, but we're trying," the female voice said again.

The whole time the strange conversation was going on, Alyssandra hid quietly in the tree, trying not to be spotted. Soon, the voices silenced, and Alyssandra decided that it was better to depart for she knew not who they were or what they might want. Slowly and quietly, she crept out of her hiding place in the tree, moving slowly among the tree branches, leaving the fruit she had picked behind. She was so scared, she did not even realize that she had left it. She only wanted to get out of there and away from the strange people. Crawling carefully across the branches, she felt one of them suddenly crack, making her lose her balance. She dangled helplessly from one of the large limbs, with her dress caught on a small twig. It was almost the only thing holding her up. She yelped as gravity forced her downward, while she held on as best she could.

"What was that?!" one of the young male voices asked quickly.

"I do not know. It came from over in this direction," the deep voice said as he headed toward Alyssandra.

She was very scared, not only because she was dangling helplessly from a tree at which any moment she could fall to the ground, but also because of the voices. Voices meant people, and everyone she had met before were never friendly to her, except for Jack. They could be harmless hunters or perhaps thieves waiting to pick the pockets of any person they meet.

Suddenly, the twig that was holding her up snapped, catching her by surprise and making her lose her grip. She quickly plummeted to the ground and let out a cry. She was about to hit when two large arms extended out, catching her before she reached the leaf-covered ground. The strong arms held her firmly, making sure she was out of danger from falling. It took a few seconds before she realized that she had not hit the ground, and she let out a sigh of relief before even realizing her situation. Someone was holding her. But whom? Whose arms was she in? Though they were very large and powerful, they seemed so gentle and kind. She slowly looked up and saw the face of a strong, muscular man starring at her. Petrified with fear, she just remained still.

"Are you injured?" the deep voice she had heard earlier said. It was coming from the man that was now holding her. She said nothing, still frozen.

"Teal'c!" Daniel called out.

"Over here, Dr. Jackson," Teal'c called back, still looking at the young woman in his arms. Her face was so pale. "I will not hurt you," he said, not wanting to frighten her, though he figured he already had. He bent down slightly to stand her up on her own feet, making sure not to scare her further. Jackson, Carter, and Secrest soon joined Teal'c's side. They all looked quizzically at the young woman -- who was now leaning against the tree from which she had fallen -- trying to catch her breath. She was also looking at them, studying their appearance, especially their clothing.

"Are you okay?" Secrest asked her in concern.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then finally spoke up after she had gathered enough courage to do so. "I-I think I am all right," she said a little shakily.

"What happened to you?" Carter asked.

"I was in the tree picking fruit for a friend," she said, still a little dazed by what had happened. "I heard voices and got frightened. When I tried to get away, the limb cracked, and I lost my grip. I am lucky you were close enough to catch me. Thank you," she explained, then looked at Teal'c. He just smiled and bowed his head slightly. She smiled back, realizing that these people would not hurt her.

"Oh, um, I am Daniel Jackson, this is Oliver Secrest, Samantha Carter, and this is Teal'c," he said pointing to them in order.

_Teal'c... That name sounds familiar…_ Alyssandra thought to herself. "Oh. I am Alyssandra. Nice to meet you," she said.

"Pleasure to meet you, too," Daniel said back, extending his hand.

Alyssandra's eyes widened in surprise. She confidently extended hers as well, piecing everything together: the clothing, the familiar names, and now the handshake. _These people have to know something about Jack! It is too much of a coincidence to not be true! _she thought to herself.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Carter asked again. 

"I am still a little shaken, but I think I will be all right soon," Alyssandra said still leaning against the tree. "May I ask you something now?"

"Sure. What is it?" Daniel answered.

"Are you part of a group of people who travel through the... Star-Gate?" she asked, trying to remember what Jack called it. They looked at each other with stunned looks on their faces.

"Why do you ask?" Carter questioned.

"I recently met someone whom is part of a group. He was lost to them, and he was dressed in clothes very much like yours. Did you, by chance, lose someone recently?" she asked again.

"Yes, actually, we did. We're looking for him now," Daniel said, a little confused.

"How did you know that?" Secrest spoke up.

"Um, is his name Jack?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yes! Jack O'Neill!" Carter said. "How do you know of him and us?"

"Because... he told me," Alyssandra finally answered.

"Jack told you?! He's alive?! Do you know where he is now?!" Daniel said with much excitement in his voice.

"Yes, he is alive! He is at my home. That is why I was in the tree. I was picking fruit for him." Alyssandra said excitedly. "I will take you to him!" She quickly tried to stand up, but suddenly, felt a great pain in her left leg and collapsed to the ground -- groaning in pain.

"What?! What's wrong?!" Oliver said as he quickly ran to her.

"My leg! It hurts. Oh, it hurts!" she said with great pain in her voice as she put her hand over her ankle. She rubbed it a few times, then removed her hand. Her palm had blood all over it. "I guess I am not all right."

"Oh, my. Let me help you," Secrest said. He bent down on one knee and then looked though the pockets on his uniform. He was always prepared. He had brought along a medical kit, just in case they found O'Neill alive and he needed treatment. He found what he needed and bent down to tend to her injured leg.

Alyssandra instinctively trusted him and let him help her. Oliver Secrest was a tall man. His six feet and then some towered over her five feet, four inches. He had short black hair and strikingly dark brown eyes, very much like Alyssandra's. "Thank you," she said as she smiled at him. Secrest smiled back. _Such a lovely smile..._ she thought to herself.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"I think so," she said back. "Jack has been waiting to get home. I have to take you to him," she said as she tried to stand. Oliver quickly grasped her arm and helped her to her feet. She smiled thankfully. "Please. Follow me." She motioned for SG-1 and Secrest to come with her.

Meanwhile, O'Neill was trying to think of a way to get back to earth. The only idea that came to mind was to run for the Gate and hope no guards saw him.

"Come on, Jack. Think of something!" he said out loud. "Man, I'm hungry! Where's Alyssandra?" he said as he paced around the room.

Suddenly, he heard voices. Someone, or ones, was approaching. He quickly took cover behind the wall close to the window and peeked out. Nothing. _It can't be Alyssandra returning. I hear male voices... It can't be her, unless... some serpent guards found out where I am and are using her to get to me!_ he said to himself. He looked around the room to see if there was anything he could use as a weapon -- Alyssandra had left all of his gear at the place she found him. Smart thing for someone to do when not knowing anything about a person such as himself. All he found was a broomstick. "This'll have to do," he said out loud again, with a little uncertainty in his voice. He prepared himself, ready for anything. Well, almost. He did not know who was actually with Alyssandra. 

Finally, she and SG-1 reached her house. They were all so excited. They would finally find O'Neill! Though Alyssandra was a little saddened, for this meant Jack would leave, she was ecstatic to know that he was going back to his home to be with his people.

"Jack? Where are you? I have some people here that I am sure you would like to see!" she said with excitement. There was no answer. "I know he is here. Maybe he is around back. Follow me." They followed her as she slowly made her way around the house. Jack was not there. "Where could he be?" she questioned. She thought for a moment. Suddenly, she realized something. "Oh, no!" she yelled as she hobbled quickly to the door to the house in a last attempt to find him leaving the others to follow, fearing that whoever had injured him had found him. She opened the door quickly, not knowing that Jack _was_ still there and was ready to take on any unwanted visitors. Daniel and the others were only a short distance away, but ran after her. As soon as she stepped into O'Neill's sight, he grabbed her arm quickly and pulled her out of the doorway, pushing her behind him to protect her. Daniel saw Alyssandra disappear through the threshold.

"Hey!" he yelled as he ran to the door in an attempt to help her. As soon as Daniel's head was in Jack's sight, he raised the broomstick -- ready to strike him -- when he heard a familiar voice. "Jack! Jack, it's me, Daniel!" Jackson yelled as he shielded his face.

"Daniel?" Jack said in surprise as he hesitantly lowered the broom. "Oh, man, am I ever glad to see you!" he said as he grabbed Daniel and hugged him. The others entered the room soon after, weapons in hands.

"Colonel?! We were afraid you were dead!" Carter said quickly, lowering her weapon.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily!" he said releasing Daniel. Jack hugged Sam and even Secrest, then turned to Teal'c.

"It is a great relief to see you alive and well, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said with a smile.

"You, too, ol' buddy," he said as he gave his friend a guy hug.

"But how? Teal'c said you got shot!" Secrest asked.

"Alyssandra helped me. Oh, dear," he said, remembering that she was still behind the door. He quickly helped her out in the open. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you, but when I heard voices, I thought you were in trouble."

"That is quite all right. You definitely woke me up!" she joked. 

O'Neill noticed the bandage on her ankle. "What happened to your leg?!" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, it is nothing. I just had a little mishap with a tree while I was picking some fruit. Thanks to your friend Teal'c, I did not get hurt worse," she explained.

"Oh, he does stuff like that all the time," Jack said in his normal candid manner.

"Colonel, if I may ask, how did Alyssandra save you? Teal'c saw you get hit by a staff blast. We found a trail of blood that let to the edge of the cliff near the Stargate. We feared that you went over," Secrest said.

"Oh. I guess you don't know," Jack said slowly.

"Know what?" Daniel said back, even slower.

"Well, I did get shot, and I did go over the cliff, but... Alyssandra used a healing device on me. She's a Tok'ra," O'Neill explained. They all looked at her with baffled expressions on their faces.

"What...?" Alyssandra questioned as she sat herself in a chair to keep pressure off her injured leg.

"Oh. Nothing. I just didn't even realize it. I guess I hadn't got close enough to you to sense the symbiote's presence," Carter said. Alyssandra looked at her, puzzled. "Oh, long story. I'll tell you later."

"Colonel, I don't mean to break up this reunion -- don't get me wrong! I'm very glad to see you alive, but we have a problem. We found out something while trying to figure out how to rescue you. The guards that were here earlier, we know why they were here. They're after the healing stone. There are already SG teams out trying to stop whoever might be behind this whole thing, and they probably need our help. We should head back to the Gate and see what we can do," Secrest explained.

"Yeah, you're probably right. We should go," O'Neill agreed.

"Oh, please. Take me with you," Alyssandra requested.

"Alyssandra," O'Neill said as he leaned down to her, "If you come with us, you might not make it to the Gate. Heck, _we _might not even make it to the Gate! You're already hurt. Do you want to take that risk?" O'Neill asked her carefully.

"Jack. In twelve long years, you are the only other person that has ever cared for me at all. Please do not leave me now. Whatever the risks are, I will take them," Alyssandra said plaintively.

Jack turned to the others and pulled them to the side. "Guys, she has nothing here worth staying for: no family, no friends, nothing. Well, not counting her symbiote Ka'rin. There's got to be something we can do for her. For cryin' out loud, she practically brought me back from the dead!" O'Neill pleaded.

"Well, we could take her back to earth and try to relocate her on another planet," Carter suggested.

"Where could you send a Tok'ra?" Secrest asked.

"Carter!" O'Neill exclaimed.

"Yes, Sir?" Sam said back.

"No, not you. Your dad, Jacob. He's a Tok'ra. Maybe he can find a place for her," Jack explained.

"That would be an option, Sir," Sam said back.

"We can figure it all out once we get home, if we get home," Secrest said.

"Okay, Oliver," Jack said back. He then walked over to Alyssandra. He knelt down and spoke to her softly, "We might have a place for you to go, if you really want to come with us."

"I do," she said simply.

"All right. Is there anything here that you'd like to take with you?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. Could someone please bring me that bag under the table over there?" she said as she pointed to it.

Secrest walked over to a small brown bag -- about the size of a woman's purse -- which seemed to be made of woven vines of some sort. He walked over to her and set it in her lap. "What's in it?" he questioned.

"Um… something that makes being a Tok'ra worthwhile," she said cryptically.

"Okay, then. Do you think you can make it on that leg?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe so," she answered.

"Okay. Let's move out," O'Neill ordered while helping Alyssandra out of her chair. He and Oliver helped her as they all made their way toward the Gate.

Soon they reached the Gate. Weapons fire was heard all around as there was a fight in progress. SG-1 and company hid behind some small trees and looked out into the clearing in which the Gate stood. The other SG teams were engaged with some serpent guards!

"Something must have gone wrong when the teams went to help the inhabitants! The guards must have known we were coming!" Carter yelled over the explosions all about.

"This is not good!" Daniel said excitedly.

"No, it's not!" O'Neill said loudly. "We have to contact someone who can tell the other teams to open the Gate and get out of here!" He looked around to see if anyone was near him. A few yards away -- ducked behind some large rocks, firing at the guards -- he saw two members from SG-7. "Wait here!" he ordered SG-1 as he carefully maneuvered his way over to them. Luckily, there was plenty of cover between them. He swiftly dove down behind them, making them turn around quickly, with their guns in hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it! I'm one of the good guys!" O'Neill yelled.

"Colonel O'Neill? You're alive!" one of the men -- Major Davies, according to his uniform -- said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I get that a lot!" he said back. "What's our status -- how are we doing?"

"Not good, Sir!" the other man, Major Cole, said. "We're surrounded and out-numbered!"

"We need to contact the other teams and have 'em open the Gate! Can you make that happen, Major?!" O'Neill asked quickly.

"I think so. I'll try to get in touch with them over the radios and give them the message to dial out!" Cole answered.

_Radios? Boy, I feel like an idiot! I've been without mine so long, I forgot that the rest of SG-1 still had theirs! _Jack said to himself. "Very good. Do it fast!" O'Neill said back. "See you back on earth. I hope," he said he made his way back to SG-1, trying not to get shot... again.

"When didn't anyone mention the radios before I ran out there?!" O'Neill questioned when he returned to where SG-1 was.

"You didn't give us a chance!" Daniel replied.

"Anyway, here's the plan," O'Neill began quickly changing the subject, yelling over the noise. "When Majors Cole and Davies get the Gate open, Carter, Teal'c, Daniel, and Secrest will go on ahead, while I stay back and help Alyssandra. Then--" Secrest cut him off.

"But, Sir, I want to stay behind and help Alyssandra, too! Please, let me--" he began, but then O'Neill cut him off.

"Secrest--" Jack began to yell, but now Alyssandra cut him off.

"Jack. Let him help," she said softly.

O'Neill couldn't deny the look on her face, that look that told him to do the right thing. Giving in, he said, "Oh, all right. Just don't fall behind!"

"Yes, Sir!" Oliver said back.

The Gate opened seconds later -- seeming like it had some idea of what 'perfect timing' meant.

"All right, everyone. Let's go!" Jack ordered.

Carter and Teal'c went first, looked around, and gave the all clear. Carefully, Jack and Oliver pulled Alyssandra to her feet, and each grabbed either arm. Since it was very hard for Alyssandra to run -- our even walk for that matter -- she and her escorts were a good way behind the others. The other three members of SG-1 had already reached the Gate, along with most of the other SG teams. Daniel was the first of SG-1 to go through the Gate. Carter and Teal'c stayed back, making sure that the personnel were all getting through safely. O'Neill and Secrest were getting closer, still holding Alyssandra by either arm. Suddenly, one of the many staff blasts that were raining down on them hit Secrest in the leg. He went down with a thud and gasped in pain.

O'Neill let go of Alyssandra and motioned for her to go on ahead as best she could. She obeyed and tried to run as fast as her hurt leg would let her, carrying her bag. Then O'Neill bent down to help Secrest. "Come on, Secrest! Get up! You can make it!" he said as he grabbed his arm and pulled him up right. "Just lean on me!" Secrest tried his best to run, leaning on Jack's shoulder as they hurried to the Gate.

While Jack was helping Oliver, Alyssandra tried to hurry to the Gate, but had fallen behind as she hobbled along. Suddenly, one of the staff blasts hit very close to her, forcing her off her feet. She hit the ground with a thud, knocking the wind out of her, and remained still as she tried to regain her strength.

Just after that, O'Neill got Secrest to the Gate. "Secrest's been hit! Get him back to earth safely!" he ordered.

"Colonel, what about you?!" Carter asked quickly.

"I'll make sure everyone gets through! Now, please... go!" he said.

"Yes, Sir!" Carter said back. She put Secrest's arm around her shoulders, and they both went through the Gate to earth.

"Colonel O'Neill, I wish to stay here and help you. I do not want to make the mistake of leaving you behind again!" Teal'c told him.

"Oh, okay. But--" he began to say, but noticed something was amiss. "Hey, Teal'c, did Alyssandra ever go through?!" he said as he watched some of the remaining personnel evacuate through the Gate.

"No! She was with you!" Teal'c yelled back, over the loud weapon fire.

"I sent her ahead while I helped Secrest. Where is she?!" he asked worriedly.

They both looked around desperately. Then, Teal'c spotted her on the ground in the clearing where she had gotten the wind knocked out of her. "O'Neill, there!" he shouted as he pointed in her direction.

"Oh, no. Teal'c, make sure everyone gets through! I'm going for Alyssandra!" he yelled as he turned around and began to run toward her. As he ran, he shouted her name, hoping she would answer.

She had regained her breath and was about to get up, when she heard someone screaming her name. Looking up, she saw that it was Jack, running toward her desperately. "Jack?!" she yelled to him. She tried to stand up, but then immediately fell back down; her ankle would not move. "Jack!" she called out again.

"Don't worry, I'm comin'!" he yelled to her.

Off in the distance, a serpent guard spotted a target within staff range. He lifted his staff and aimed at his target -- Jack! But Jack did not see this as he ran to Alyssandra.

While Alyssandra was inspecting her leg, _she_ noticed the guard. Still on the ground, she turned her head and followed his gaze to his target. She looked back and forth between the two several times and shouted to herself, sort of, "Ka'rin! Please help me!" She tried to get up, and thankfully, her ankle let her! Ka'rin was giving her the strength! She stood up and ran toward O'Neill shouting, "Jack, look out!" The whole time, the dream she had the night before replayed itself over and over again in her mind. She could not let it happen for real. Time seemed to go in slow motion as she ran. 

Jack saw her running and began to slow his speed. He saw the terrified look on her face and came to a quick stop, puzzled. Right behind her, Jack saw the guard -- which had taken that precise moment to ready his staff, only moments before he fired. The final outcome was somewhat of a blur. Alyssandra had run with all her might and crossed the path between the guard and Jack, right as the staff went off. The blast had hit her in her upper back, near her left shoulder blade, nearly forcing her to the ground. Though it stopped her from running any further, she was still able to remain standing at the moment. She stood still in her tracks.

Seconds later, the guard who had fired the staff hit the ground after being hit by a staff blast himself. After seeing that all the personnel were through the Gate -- apart from O'Neill and Alyssandra -- Teal'c had looked back and seen the guard fire the staff at O'Neill, then fired his own staff to eliminate the guard. However, he had not seen the blast hit Alyssandra.

Only seconds had past when Jack whirled his head around and saw Teal'c lowering his staff. _Thank you, my friend!_ he said to him. Teal'c just gave a satisfied nod.

"Alyssandra?!" Jack called out, as he saw her standing there. He hurried quickly over to her. "Are you okay?! We _really_ have to go!"

She gave no response. She only stared in front of her, with skin as pale as cotton.

He gently grabbed her arm when he reached her position. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She still gave no reply. She slightly turned her head and looked into his dark brown eyes and gave him a look, a look that somehow said, "Good-bye." Then her body went limp and started to crumble to the ground.

"Whoa, Alyssandra, what's wrong?!" he yelled excitedly as he caught her and stopped her from hitting the ground. With his arms wrapped around her, he slowly laid her down. "Teal'c! Get over here now!" he yelled as he pulled his arm out from under her, seeing blood that was not his own all over his hand and uniform sleeve. "Alyssandra's been hit!!"

Nothing else had to be said to hurry Teal'c over there. He gently, but quickly picked up Alyssandra and hurried to the Gate with O'Neill.

"Just hold on, Ally!" Jack said, even though he knew Alyssandra probably could not hear him. They ran into the event horizon of the Gate and quickly arrived on earth. The Gate shut down, and the sound of weapon fire ceased.

Seconds after the Gate shut down on earth, Teal'c carefully laid Alyssandra down on the ramp. "This girl needs medical attention!" he yelled.

Hearing his call, Dr. Frasier -- who was at the moment just finishing bandaging up one of the other injured person -- hurried over to him, with O'Neill by her side. "Colonel, you're alive!" she said, glad to see him.

He just gave her a grin. "I've noticed that," he said in his usual sarcastic manner.

She then quickly checked Alyssandra for a pulse. "She's alive, but barely. Get her to the Infirmary now!" she said. Jack picked her up and put her on one of the gurneys that had been brought to the Gateroom for just such an occasion. Dr. Frasier quickly wheeled her to the Infirmary, with Jack following close behind.

Once she got to the Infirmary, Alyssandra was hooked up to a cardiac monitor and I.V. line. Dr. Frasier did all she could at the moment and then made her way over to O'Neill to report on the girl's status.

"Her vitals are very weak. The staff blast hit her left scapula, which is a pretty good place if you have to get shot. Though she's a Tok'ra, her symbiote isn't healing her. I'm afraid she won't live much longer unless we find some other way to help her," Janet said, sadly.

Jack said nothing. He only turned and faced the wall and stared for a moment, then turned back around. "There's _nothing _you can do?" he asked.

"No, Sir. I'm sorry," she said regretfully.

"Colonel!" Carter shouted while hurrying down the corridor to the Infirmary. She entered the room and saw everyone's downcast faces. Teal'c, Daniel, Oliver, George, Janet, and especially Jack all looked dismal. "I guess there's bad news, huh?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Secrest said, leaning against the wall with his crutches by his side.

Carter frowned. Then she realized why she needed to talk with O'Neill. "Colonel, one of the Airmen found this on the ramp," she said as she handed him the object.

"It's Ally's bag," he muttered. As he held it in his hands, he felt something heavy and circular inside. He lifted the flap on the delicate possession and pulled out the object. It was a Goa'uld healing device! _So that's what she meant by 'something that makes being a Tok'ra worthwhile'!_ he thought to himself. "It's the healing device that Ally used on me," he said out loud.

Daniel echoed the statement in his mind... then it clicked. "Sam! After Jolinar left you, you still retained the ability to use some Goa'uld technology -- like, a healing device!"

"You are correct, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, with a little excitement in his voice.

Jack turned his attention from Daniel to Sam. "Sam. Can you save her?" he asked hopefully.

"I will definitely try, Sir!" she answered. She took the device, put it on her hand, and held it over Alyssandra. Closing her eyes, she concentrated very hard, yet nothing happened. In the background she heard whispers of encouragement coming from the others. She tried with all her might to make it work. Then, it started to glow. She waved it slowly over Alyssandra, letting the glowing object do its duty.

A few seconds later, Ally's eyes opened slowly. She was awake!

"Alyssandra?" Jack questioned hopefully.

"Jack?!" she answered. "What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He just smiled back. "I'm just glad you're awake."

"Actually, we all are!" Oliver's voice said from behind Jack. He hobbled over to her on his crutches, followed elatedly by the others.

"What happened to you, Oliver? I do not remember much of anything," she asked, noticing the bandage on his leg, as well as the crutches.

"Oh, it was just a flesh wound. It's nothing!" he said jokingly.

"Well, I wouldn't quite put it that way, Secrest," Dr. Frasier said as she walked over to Alyssandra to check her vitals. "That staff blast did quite a lot of damage. You're lucky you can still stand."

"Oh, don't worry about me. How's Alyssandra?" he asked.

"Well, pretty good. Your vitals are getting better by the second," Janet said to Ally. She was rewarded by a pleasant smile.

"So, Doc. Does that mean she's going to live?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes, Sir. I believe so," she answered back smiling.

"All right! Way to go Carter!" he said ecstatically.

Jack and Daniel gave her innocent punches on the arm to congratulate her. She just smiled and blushed slightly. Then Jack casually walked over to Alyssandra's side.

"I'm glad you're still with us," he said.

"What? Did I leave?" she answered back, slightly confused.

"Well, you almost did," he said back, smiling because of her question.

"Okay. But where am I? Is this where you live?" she asked looking around at her strange surroundings.

"Well, not _exactly_, but, yes, this is my planet," he answered. "This is only one of the many rooms in this place. The outside looks very much like your planet, actually."

"That is good to hear, but... Where are Ka'rin and I going to live now?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I have that all figured out. You just get some rest and tomorrow, all will be explained," he answered.

"Yes. We should all go and let her rest," Janet said to the crowd. "You just get some sleep and if you need anything, I'll be nearby, okay?"

"Okay," she answered with a slight yawn.

"See you tomorrow, Ally," Jack said as he waved and quietly left the room. The others waved and left the room as well, as Frasier turned out the light, leaving her to rest.

Once out of the room, Hammond pulled O'Neill over to the side, leaving the others to go about whatever they were going to do. "Colonel, it's wonderful to see you alive," he said.

"Awe, I missed you, too," he said jokingly.

"Very funny. I pulled you aside to ask -- in there, Alyssandra asked about where she was going to live now, and you said you had everything under control. What did you mean?" Hammond questioned.

"Well," he began, "I need a little favor."

"Like what?" Hammond questioned again.

Jack smirked. "I need to get in touch with a certain Tok'ra, Sir," he answered as he put his arm around Hammond's shoulder and began to walk down the hall with him.

Hammond just wondered what was going on in that head of Jack's. Well, actually, many people did.

_SEVERAL DAYS LATER..._

The elevator door opened and out walked Ally and Daniel. "It was very kind of you to show me around your planet, Daniel," Ally said once the doors had closed. "It is very beautiful."

"Sure. No problem. I'm glad General Hammond cleared you so you could see it," he answered.

"But, why could Jack not do it? Not that I do not like begin with you," she asked, cautiously.

"Oh, it's all right. Jack has a surprise waiting for you," he explained. "Follow me." He gently grabbed her arm and led her to the conference room. Entering the room, she saw familiar persons -- along with two whom she had not met -- sitting at the large table.

Seeing her enter, Jack stood up to greet her, as well as did the others. "It's wonderful to see you up and around, Ally," he said walking over to her and Daniel. He took her hand and escorted her over to a seat beside him. "Please have a seat."

She did so, noticing that the others did so, too. Daniel sat down on the opposite side of the table, next to Secrest. She smiled, knowing that all her newfound friends were there, but she was puzzled. "Jack, what is going on? Who are these people?"

"I apologize for not introducing myself and my companion," one of the visitors said, standing up respectively. Alyssandra did the same. "I am Jacob Carter, Samantha's father, and this is my friend Martouf. We have come to offer you a place to call home."

Her face lit up.

Jacob bowed his head slightly, then lifted it. "**I am Jacob's symbiote, Selmac. I, along with the rest of the Tok'ra, would gladly accept you to our planet**," he said in the Goa'uld-like, distorted voice.

Martouf stood, but spoke as his symbiote Lantesh, "**We accept both you and Ka'rin... if you will have us**."

"I -- I mean, _we_ would be honored to live among you. But… I do not mean to be rude, but I do not know any of you. I do not know if I would feel comfortable there, and if you would feel comfortable having me there," she said skittishly.

Secrest spoke, "That's why I've volunteered to go along with you… if you want me to." 

"I would very much like that, Oliver," she said smiling at him sitting in the chair across from her. His crutches were propped against the wall behind him.

"It would also give me a chance to learn more about the Tok'ra," he said.

"We will take you two with us now, if you are ready," Martouf said, as himself again. 

"Alyssandra, Secrest...?" Hammond questioned.

Ally looked into Oliver's brown eyes and smiled. "We are ready."

They all gathered in the Gateroom for departure. While Carter said good-bye to her dad, Jack and Daniel said farewell to Alyssandra and Oliver.

"Oliver, I'm going to miss you, man," Daniel said.

"Me, too," O'Neill said. "I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you for helping out in the rescue."

"There's no need. You got me through the Gate when I got hit. Let's just call it even," he said, shaking Jack's hand. "Oh, whatever happened to the inhabitants of Madoc?"

"Oh, uh, when the teams got to the town to see what they could do, the guards were all over the place and had to retreat to the Gate. Evidentially, some of the town's people got free by themselves and tried to help the others get away. I guess they didn't need our help after all. It seems that they prevented the Goa'uld from getting the stone, by themselves. We'll try to go back soon and see if it's all clear, but I don't know if we can get through again," Daniel explained. "We might yet get the medicine from that stone and be able to heal people without having to be a Tok'ra or a Goa'uld. Time will tell."

"Well, I just hope you do not get hurt again, Jack. Please be careful," Alyssandra, standing next to Oliver, said. "I am just glad that this whole ordeal is over for now."

"You and me, both," Jack said back.

Alyssandra scooted over to Jack and hugged him tightly. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I am going to miss you very much."

"Oh, come on now. I promise I'll come and visit you. Well, I have to see your new home, don't I?!" he said back.

"That is true," she said as she let go of him and sniffled. "Please visit soon."

"I will. I have to see how you two hold up," Jack said smiling.

"Well, we had better get going," Oliver said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're excited about seeing your new home," Jack said back.

Alyssandra suddenly realized that Daniel had been standing there the whole time. Not meaning to neglect him, she gave him a big hug as well. "Good-bye, Daniel. I hope you visit, too."

"You can count on it," he said with a smile.

Oliver gently grabbed Ally's hand. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Almost," she said. She took her bag from her shoulder and pulled out he healing device. "That leg is in no condition to travel on. Let me help you." She waved the device over his wound, letting the glowing power heal him. Soon she put it back in her bag and removed the bandage. The wound was gone!

"Holy, cow!" Oliver exclaimed as he moved his leg around and let his crutches fall to the ground. Alyssandra made a puzzled face, but decided to ask him about that later. "Is this girl something, or what?!" he said as he hugged her.

_Oh, she sure is something_ Jack said to himself as he smiled at the two as they walked her over -- hand in hand -- to where Martouf and the Carters were standing.

Jack grinned immensely. "Hey, Danny. How old is Oliver?" 

"I think he's twenty-four, give or take. Why do you ask?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that they're about the same age. Ally's twenty-three," Jack said as he grinned.

"Your point being...?" Daniel inquired.

"Oh, do I have to spell it out for you, Daniel?!" Jack said to him in a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' voice.

"Ohhh, oh, oh. I get it!" Daniel said. "Do you think they'll work out?"

"Who knows?" O'Neill said simply.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Sam," Jacob said to his daughter.

Sam hugged him. "It's great to see you again, too, Dad. As much as I'd like you to stay, you should go," she began, seeing Alyssandra and Oliver coming their way. "Show Alyssandra her new home. Take care of her, Dad. She's some girl!"

"Yes, she is. And we _will_ take care of her, don't worry. Bye, Sweetheart," he said as he kissed her on the forehead as Martouf approached.

"It is great to see you, Samantha," Martouf said.

"You, too," she smiled.

"I am sorry that I cannot stay longer, I have to go. I hope to see you again soon," he said.

"Don't be a stranger," she joked.

They both just smiled.

"Are you ready?" Jacob asked Alyssandra and Oliver once they had come near. Each of them nodded affirmatively. The Gate opened at just the right moment. Perfect timing -- again. Alyssandra took a deep breath and walked up the ramp with Jacob, Martouf, and Oliver. When they came within a few feet of the event horizon, she stopped and turned around. Looking back at her new friends -- especially O'Neill -- she smiled her most wonderful smile. They all simultaneously smiled back.

She thought about how much Jack had helped her in the last few days. If she had not been there at the right time to find and help him at the bottom of the canyon, he would most likely be dead, and she would still be alone. Now she had a new home, new friends, and maybe even a new love. She looked at Secrest and smiled. She had received so much for such a simple act of kindness. _I guess it does pay to be a nice person _she said to herself.

Then, all four stepped through the Gate and were on their way to Alyssandra's new home. Moments later, the Gate shut down, and all was still well. Only, now there was a little more hope for the future -- and for what might come out of the relationship between Alyssandra and her new home. For once in her life, she felt truly and honestly... home.

**THE END**


End file.
